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It appears to correlate to home ownership rates. My thought is that renters live closer to work and commute less. More renters means less overall commuting. Few people want to rent out in the burbs, but a lot of people will buy out there because the lower home prices appear attractive and they disregard the commute. I've never seen any one bring that up as a possible cause. Know of any data out there differentiating commute miles for renters versus owners? I don't think demographics (the change is too abrupt to be due to boomers exiting workforce) or change in labor force (labor force is increase but driving is still decreasing) explains it. I think the internet is part of it, but not all of it.